The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-08-02
CRABS At KUHN's WHARF.
Crabs That Are Well Trained-Rising to-
the Surface in Response to Signals.
From, the Cohesion Nears.

From the Cohesion Ne1rS.
OF all the queer characters that ever eX-
listed in Galveston Fisherman Brown is the
queerest Fisherman Brown has his habitat
upon Kuhn's wharf, where he ekes out a
miserable existence by catching and selling
crabs. He is as dark in complexion as a
Moor, and wears old and shabby garments.
Yesterday the tide had receded to an
unusual degree, leaving boats of every
description high and dry on ground.
Around Kuhn's wharf the water was par
ticularly low, but Fisherman Brown seemed
to like it. In the slip which the wharf COM
pany has cut out for erecting dry docks
Brown had pulled his boat, and was eagerly
peering over its gunwale into the sluggish
running water. As soon as he saw NeloS
reporter, who happened to be in that local
ity, Brown began to tell what he knew
about crabs. Information oozed from him
like the precious altar of roses, and he grew
quite enthusiastic.
"Oh the crabs, :" he said presently, as he
drew up a net; mot many understand the
ways of crabs Crabs have their tastes like
people, and many times have | seen a crab
tell another crab what to do. When the
water is smooth and green and the day over
flowing with sunshine, then is the time |
watch the little creatures. l pull them up
III lSO, anu WIFI W oe0 MtlelO UiCJ Will
do. Sometimes / haul up half a dozen
Of different sizes, and they act just
like people-they are greedy and
selfish. The big sea crabs give
the little crabs sound trouncing for being
in the way, and then the big crabs claw at
each other around the meat. They act so
human like that am much amused Grabs,
sir are divided into many families. There
is the blue-claw family, the streaked back
70, ~ H.,
green back family. You not often see those
of the streaked back family tribe IN Calves
ton waters, but many are caught around
Padre Island down the coast. speak only
of crabs to be found in the gulf and the
bay. AS for other crabs they abound in
many waters. | have seen me catch many
crabs as large as an ostrich--ah! you smile,
but speak in truth. On the Japan coast
the crabs look like huge birds running over
the sand. They come up on the sand dunes
just like large turtles, and run away with
proaches them. How they fight Their
bodies are small, but their legs are
long and tough, and if caught they,
catch you with their legs like graphing
iron. They have vicious little green eyes,
and they look at you like a serpent When
off the japanese coast one time we all put
to shore and made a great chase after the
big crabs. The only way we could catch
'em was to break their legs by sweeping
them with big stick or cutlass, and even
then they'd show fight.
Il have long studied the habits of crabs
in Galveston waters and I know 'em well.
They know me, too, for sometimes | make
pets of my crabs. You no believe dat
Como, | show you" and leading the reporter
to the stern of the boat, the Drowned fisher
mad lifted a cloth from the stern and re-
vealed a small tank, in which several crabs
were swimming around. The tank had
holes bored through at the bottom, letting in
a constant supply of fresh water.
"Now you watch what l do" said Fisher
erman Brown.
He took a small stick and beat tattoo
upon the stearn of the boat, the while adj
dressing the crabs as though they were hu-
man beings, and giving each a namo.
Come up, my beauties, there is a gentle
man come to see YOU" he said, which was
followed by such EXPLANATIONS es
Don't be afraid; the pots not ready
yet-neither is the purchaser" After
would resume his tattoo vigorously.
Whether it was from the effect of his
adjuration or from a desire of their own
is not known, but the crabs were not long
in needing his invitation, and began to rise
to the surface and paddle across from side
to side Now" said Fisherman Brown,
''you see me make a crab mind" Taking
up an ordinary fishing line with sinker at
tached, he suspended it over the back of one
of the crabs and said: "Sink, my hearty,
sink" The crab had been padding lazily
about, but as soon as the voice was heard it
Immediately sank and sent up number of
bubbles. This seemed to please Fisherman
Brown to a surprising degree, as he drew
in the line and chuckled to himself.
Presently he picked up two pieces of lime
stone polished smooth ON one side, and
said that was for calling the crabs to dinner.
"They know the difference in the tattoo and
the stone sound" said Brown, land they
come up quickly when they hear the stones,
just like chickens when called" First TAX
ing handful of shrimp cut into minute
pieces, Brown began to pound the stones
together very vigorously. The stones made
harsh and grating kind Of noise, but they
caused great change to take place in the
tank Wherea moment before all had been
quiet, there was now great coinmotion.
The crabs came up in body and snapped
and clawed viciously at each other in their
endeavors to get good position. They
would attempt to climb up the SIDE of the
tank, but would fall back exhausted each
time, owing to the planks being too slip
perry. Laughing quietly Fisherman Brown
then threw the handful of shrimp
to his queer pets, and then it was
a scene of evolutions and revo-
lutions in the water Each crab made
grab for a piece of shrimp, and general
melee ensued. There was not quite enough
to go around, and a pitched battle took place
in consequence among Tue hardshell pets
1t was a strange thing to look beneath
the water and see two or more crabs hack
ing away at each other for the posses
sion of a piece of shrimp They would
clnch and rise to the surface, but never let
go until the shrimp was demolished or one
had gained the victory. II would certainly
seem that Fisherman Brown had the crabs
pretty well trained, but how he managed to
do this with crabs will remain a mystery.
81 keen the same crabs in there for one or
two weeks" said Brown, "and soon get
them to know me- They know not that
am the monster with the net that lured
them from their domain. or they might not
like me so well Sce,'' and he dipped his
arm down into the tank and brought up
large crab. He held the crab in his hand
and stroked it as though it was a pet bird,
and the crab, strange to say, made no hos
tile demonstrations, but succumbed to the
caresses with the best possible grace.
Brown said it was charm that he exer-
cised upon crabs, and that they would
never attempt to bite him until he trans
fcrred them to "a strangers basket.
"Ah! the crab is u noble ANIMAL" said
Fisherman Brown with a SIGH, as he read
justed the cloth over the stern of the boat,
'and people ought not TO be so cruel to
them, for are they not like peoplcl 'Tis
true they eat dead people when they get
chance, but do not the people eat them alsol
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